We’re building one of the world’s largest underground LTE networks for digital mining

By Jeannette McGillSeptember 4, 2019

We want to use the vast array of technology at our fingertips today to help businesses be more productive and efficient. That’s why we’re excited to announce a new partnership with South32 for a private 4G LTE network at their North West Queensland mine.

Right now, we’re in pre-deployment stage at the South32 Cannington underground silver, lead and zinc mine. The network will drive improved safety, automation and mechanisation at the site and will connect staff to vehicles and sensors around the mine at all times. The high throughput and low latency offered by the system means that staff will be able to control critical equipment without interruption, and South32’s digitalisation strategy will be achievable throughout the mine.

By adopting 4G LTE underground, the Cannington mine will be able to achieve better operating transparency, condition monitoring and production improvements for staff, machines and other mining systems, driving safety, productivity and efficiency.

We’ll be building an initial underground network 6.5kms in length using a private, virtualised core and LTE radio technologies distributed over leaky feeder cable using LTE-capable bi-directional amplifiers. Our analysis indicates this to be the most effective solution for underground miners and is capable of adapting to the unique geology and composition of the Cannington mine. It enables access to the latest advances in 4G LTE and NB-IoT, and is also upgradeable to 5G in the future.

The network being private means that it will be a completely
standalone mobile network, independent from others, like Telstra’s own public
network. South32 Cannington will have its own equipment, SIM cards and unique
network codes for full autonomy and complete control.

Providing a modern connectivity platform will allow for more
flexible operations as well as scalability and choice in applying various
digital solutions. The combination of Ericsson mobile network equipment,
Telstra radio spectrum, and leaky feeder solutions from specialist manufacturer
METStech provides a unique capability that has made extending LTE underground a
more commercially realistic and safer prospect.

At its full deployment, it’ll become one of the largest underground mining LTE networks in the world using leaky feeder. We’re excited to help drive South32’s Cannington mine further with this new private network, as it looks to pay dividends to safety, productivity and more.

If you want to catch a glimpse of the technology behind this
build, make sure to visit the Ericsson stand at Telstra Vantage in Melbourne on
4 and 5 September.

Turning on the digital future of mining at Lihir

By Jeannette McGillJune 25, 2019

Together with Newcrest, we’ve switched on the first Private 4G LTE mobile network in Papua New Guinea at the Lihir gold mine. This next-generation network will allow for greater levels of safety, tele-remote operation of mining equipment, and autonomous systems throughout the mine, while seamlessly integrating into Newcrest’s existing Wi-Fi network.

We worked with Newcrest to design, stage, deploy and test the network at Lihir, implementing a Private LTE system that has been validated as a dependable and scalable networking platform for the mining industry – and one that will help mining houses digitally transform their operations to plan for the future.

Newcrest’s Lihir gold mine extends 300 metres
into a volcanic crater, which has the potential to expose workers to elevated
temperatures. Chris Jordaan, the mine’s general manager, says that tele-remote
and autonomous mining technologies are fundamental to working the hot work
areas that will become more dominant features of the Lihir operation in the
future.

“The Private LTE network will be a great enabler for these technologies and coupled with the existing in-pit Wi-Fi network, we have been able to create a heterogeneous network that covers the whole mining lease.”

We’ve provided Newcrest with a tailored
platform using Ericsson technology that will underpin its safety and digital
mining ambitions and will help improve productivity and deliver new value and
efficiencies to the business. They’ll be using it to further modernise the mine
site to enable the use of current and future mining applications, including
tele-remote and autonomous systems, more extensively.

Newcrest and Telstra Mining Services took what has become a best-in-class preliminary deployment approach with the network. Designing it for full production but initially deploying at two sites allowed Newcrest to validate the design principles, implementation techniques and practical capabilities of Private LTE before scaling their investment.

Every kind of production vehicle asset that
Newcrest uses at Lihir, including trucks, drills, excavators, dozers, shovels
and barges, has been connected and operationally proven over the Private LTE
network. The upgrade brings significant performance improvements in terms of
reliability, speed and latency – boosting fleet efficiency and real-time
visibility by 80 per cent.

Lihir’s Private LTE deployment will also improve the efficiency and safety of mining, according to Gavin Wood, Chief Information & Digital Officer at Newcrest.

“Safety is Newcrest’s number-one priority and the network Telstra Mining Services has built with us at Lihir will enable safer and more efficient mining using new technologies. The success of this project was 100 per cent driven by leadership and personal commitment of the Lihir’s OT / IT team working together with Telstra Mining Services.”

LTE is a future-ready platform for wireless
communication in mining, and provides highly scalable communications that will
be vital to the next generation of machines and systems in the sector. We’re
proud to bring our extensive experience with our own networks to help Newcrest
work towards the future of mining.